PepGen Appoints Joseph Vittiglio, Esq., as Chief Business and Legal Officer
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oligonucleotide therapiesmedical
Short pieces of genetic material designed to change how a specific gene behaves, acting like a targeted instruction or patch that can block, boost, or reroute a faulty cellular message. Investors care because these therapies promise highly specific treatments for diseases with unmet needs, which can command premium pricing and rapid value creation, but they also carry scientific, regulatory, manufacturing and patent risks that affect potential returns.
gene therapy productsmedical
Gene therapy products are medical treatments that change or replace a patient’s genes to prevent, stop, or correct disease by delivering new genetic material into cells—think of updating the software inside a living cell to fix a malfunction. They matter to investors because they can offer one-time or curative therapies with high potential returns, but also carry large development costs, strict regulatory scrutiny, and binary clinical risks, creating a high-risk, high-reward investment profile.
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An initial public offering (IPO) is the process by which a private company sells its shares to the public for the first time, making its ownership available on the stock market. This allows the company to raise money from a wide range of investors to fund growth or other goals. For investors, an IPO offers a chance to buy into a company early in its public journey, potentially benefiting if the company grows in value.
multiple ascending dose studymedical
A multiple ascending dose study is an early-stage clinical trial where participants receive repeated doses of an experimental drug that are gradually increased over time to observe safety, side effects, and how the body processes the medicine. For investors, results reveal whether a therapy can be tolerated at higher doses and how reliably it behaves in humans—information that reduces clinical risk and helps value a drug candidate much like seeing how a new car performs under increasingly demanding test drives.
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
PepGen Inc. (Nasdaq: PEPG), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing the next generation of oligonucleotide therapies with the goal of transforming the treatment of severe neuromuscular and neurological diseases, today announced the appointment of Joseph Vittiglio, Esq., as Chief Business and Legal Officer. Mr. Vittiglio brings more than two decades of executive leadership experience across legal, compliance, corporate development, and corporate governance within public biotechnology companies.
“Joe is a deeply experienced legal and business leader with a proven track record guiding companies through complex transactions, regulatory milestones, financings, product launches, and strategic partnerships,” said James McArthur, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of PepGen. “We are excited to welcome him to PepGen’s executive leadership team as we continue to make significant progress advancing our PGN-EDODM1 program and prepare for the anticipated 2026 readouts from the 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg cohorts in our FREEDOM2-EDODM1 multiple ascending dose study in DM1 patients.”
Mr. Vittiglio joins PepGen after providing extensive consulting support to the Company in 2025. He most recently served as Chief Business and Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at bluebird bio, where he led global legal, compliance, and business development; supported the approval and launch of three U.S. gene therapy products; advanced ex-U.S. partnering; and completed more than $400 million in financings. Prior to bluebird, he served as Chief Business and Legal Officer at Finch Therapeutics, guiding the company’s IPO, building its public-company governance and compliance functions, and overseeing a global IP portfolio of more than 50 patent families. Previously, he was Chief Business Officer and General Counsel at AMAG Pharmaceuticals, supporting major corporate transactions, multiple product launches, significant financings, and all legal, compliance, and business development for a commercial organization generating over $400 million annually. Earlier in his career, he held senior legal roles at Flexion Therapeutics, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, and Oscient Pharmaceuticals, after beginning his legal career at Mintz. Mr. Vittiglio holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University.
About PepGen
PepGen Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of oligonucleotide therapies with the goal of transforming the treatment of severe neuromuscular and neurological diseases. PepGen’s Enhanced Delivery Oligonucleotide (EDO) platform is founded on over a decade of research and development and leverages cell-penetrating peptides to improve the uptake and activity of conjugated oligonucleotide therapeutics. Using these EDO peptides, the Company is generating a pipeline of oligonucleotide therapeutic candidates designed to target the root cause of serious diseases.
